The finishers: Sexy relievers not only look good, they pitch well, too

Bob Stern

Tuesday

Sep 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2007 at 2:49 AM

Jonathan Papelbon has a unique take on why the Red Sox bullpen has been so good this season.

Jonathan Papelbon has a unique take on why the Red Sox bullpen has been so good this season.

“Obviously, all of us are very sexy,” he said. “That’s why we’re good. If you look good, you play good. That’s my motto and I’m sticking to it.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona might appreciate the group’s good looks, but you sense he appreciates the group’s fastballs, changeups and splitters even more. After all, he wants his relief pitchers to get outs, not dates.

And as the Red Sox prepare to open the American League Division Series next week, the relief pitchers have been getting outs at a remarkably consistent rate.

Sure, the starting pitching has been good, the lineup has been potent and the defense has been sparkling, but the area of the team that has carried the Red Sox all year is the bullpen.

Heading into the final two weeks of the season, Sox relief pitchers rank first in the American League in ERA, earned runs, batting average, save percentage, hits and walks and hits per innings pitched. They’re second in saves, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They’re third in walks and home runs allowed.

“I’ve been with bullpens this good,” said veteran relief pitcher Mike Timlin. “The bullpen I was with in ‘91 and ‘92 had strength, durability and versatility.”

Those bullpens belonged to the Toronto Blue Jays. In ‘91, the team made the ALCS; in ‘92, it won the World Series.

“This bullpen is pretty much the same,” he continued. “We’ve had guys here all year step in and be versatile in different roles. There’s not a whole lot that separates this bullpen from the (two) others I’ve been with.”

The key, of course, is Papelbon. He’s established himself as one of the premier closers in baseball and leads in the ninth inning normally turn into wins.

But the bullpen is deeper than him. Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen and Timlin, not to mention late-season acquisition Eric Gagne, have been solid in setup roles.

Javy Lopez is an effective lefty specialist, and Kyle Snyder and Julian Tavarez are valuable long men.

“For me, I can’t do my job unless they do their jobs,” Papelbon said of his fellow relievers. “That’s why I’m successful. It’s a domino effect. If they’re all successful, then I’m going to be successful.”

Snyder tossed back the praise.

“A lot of that starts with Papelbon and Okajima this year and how well they’ve thrown at the back end of the bullpen,” Snyder said. “They’ve pitched the most crucial times of ballgames, one-run leads and, obviously, the last innings.”

The bullpen has undergone changes this year. It started with J.C. Romero, Joel Pineiro and Brendan Donnelly playing key roles, but it’s morphed into the group you see now.

“Nothing’s changed to us,” Snyder said. “I’ve been with Kansas City and there was a lot more activity there. We’ve all stayed close and upbeat and focused on what we need to do.”

The relief pitchers talk about chemistry among the group as well as some friendly competition.

“This is first time I’ve been in a bullpen significantly from start to finish, but as a core, we’re all close,” Snyder said.

“In every other bullpen I’ve ever been in, it’s a small team within a larger team,” Timlin said. “We’re isolated most of the game, so we have the chance to know each other very, very well and get to rely on each other.

“It’s only one guy, the starter, who relies on the first reliever to get him out of situations. Otherwise, it’s relievers relying on relievers all the way out to the end of the game. We rely on each other quite often.”

And there’s a sense of commitment to each other.

Bullpen coach Gary Tuck has devised a pirate motto for the group and all have pirate nicknames. The relief pitchers walk to the bullpen together before games and wait outside the gate to high-five the starting pitcher as he makes his way back to the dugout.

“We don’t live on stats, but we keep an eye on our ERA,” Timlin said. “We know we’ve been at the top of the American League and, for a while, in major league baseball. It’s a sense of pride.

“We’ve got great guys out there and we’re going out there and throwing the ball well, and throwing the ball well in situations. We’re not trying to overdo things; guys are throwing the right pitches at the right times.”

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